The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, with a number of shared universes competing at the box office. The DCEU (which is streaming with a Max subscription) ended with Aquaman 2, and fans are hyped to see co-CEO James Gunn's new universe hit the big screen with the upcoming DC movie Superman. Some fans aren't too happy about the newest look at the hero's flying scenes, but I disagree.
Moviegoers who spent years watching the DC movies in order have seen a number of Clark Kents come and go throughout the years. David Corenswet is leading the Superman cast list for Gunn, and looks perfect in the role. But after a teaser revealed new footage of him flying, some fans weren't happy with how it looked. As a reference, you can re-watch that new video below:
This teaser is mostly the same footage from the Superman trailer, but with some exceptions. Especially the clip of Clark Kent flying through the air, and doing a barrel roll in the process. The film's CGI is already getting dunked on over on Twitter, with one of the comments reading:
All these 'great shots' everyone is hyped about are just CGI. Doesn’t that bother you as a filmmaker and a creative? It would bother me. The shot should be great because a directors brilliance was about to get all that he could from the actor, writer, cinematographer etc. not just had a big budget to Ai and CGI everything
Well, they certainly didn't mince words. It sounds like this moviegoer in particular would have liked to see more practical work in the new Superman movie. But when you're bringing such a powerful character to screen, that's easier said than done.
The look of Superman's CGI seems to be a particular point of contention, especially related to the new clip of the titular hero flying. Another naysayer shared how disatisfied they are with the movie's look after Henry Cavill's tenure as Supes, posting:
If you had done this after the Christopher Reeves hiatus…meh, but probably fine. Not exciting, but not immediately dismissed. After Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder? Dude. It’s like going from shopping at Sak’s and then dropping down to Dollar Tree.
The close up shot of Corenswet's face as he's flying seems to be a sore spot for fans reacting to the new footage on social media. On the same Twitter thread, another fan posted two simple words alongside a screenshot of the actor's face. It reads:
oh no...
The backlash towards this new Superman trailer continued on Threads, where more moviegoers offered unfiltered responses to James Gunn. One of whom took aim at Corenswet's appearance during the flying close-up, posting:
Please fix his eyes. There’s still time to edit
Given how wildly handsome the Politician actor is, some folks online were given pause when it looked like the flying shot distorted his face. Although given how fast Superman is probably moving at this point, maybe that's another reason. Another comment on Threads reads:
What wrong with his face at the end?
Despite all this backlash, I'm personally not concerned about Superman. I think that the flying footage looks pretty damn cool, and I like how different it looks from Henry Cavil's movies as Clark Kent. And since James Gunn has experience with the superhero genre (including flying characters) I'm sure that he's going to make sure that the movie's visuals are up to snuff.
Additionally, these clips from Superman could simply be unfinished. The movie isn't supposed to hit theaters until this Summer, so there's months of post-production to be done... including the extensive visual effects.
Superman will be the first movie entry in Gods and Monsters aka the first Phase of DCU projects that Gunn has been planning. The pressure is definitely on, but Gunn's resume and passion for comic book projects speak volumes.
All will be revealed when Superman hits theaters on July 11th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
